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I mentioned the other day that I have a particular fondness for my 4x great-grandfather Henry GASSON because he was the one that brought my particular GASSON line over the border from Surrey into Sussex.

It happened some time around 1830 and as migrations go it wasn’t particularly spectacular, being only about 15 miles or so in distance but even so it was quite a big jump, not just to the neighbouring parish. It wasn’t as if it was only Henry and his family that made the move, there seem to have been several other GASSON families that migrated southwards over the border about the same time, and in the big scheme of things it is just part of the gradual movement of my GASSON line westwards from Kent into Surrey and then southwards into Sussex.

Whilst I am waiting for the two death certificates I ordered to turn up I will take a closer look at this particular migration and try to answer a few questions:

Exactly when did Henry and family move to Sussex?

Was their move straight from Horley, Surrey to Nuthurst, Sussex or was there somewhere in between?

How many other GASSON families moved from Surrey to Sussex around that time?

And what were their relationships to Henry GASSON?

Did any other families that moved from Horley to Nuthurst around that time?

Were there any related GASSON families already living in the Nuthurst area?

Can I identify any particular reason for this relocation?

My main resources for this will be parish registers and census returns, but there may also be some rate books that will help me narrow down some details. The good news is that I work in Horley and travel back home through Horsham, so can make use of the libraries in both of tho se places, although I will probably still need to visit the West Sussex Record Office and the Surrey History Centre to dig a little deeper.

Of course it goes without saying that if the distance is only 15 miles or so then it would make for a good days walk. I may not be able to follow exactly in their footsteps with any certainty, but by using some old maps I could probably find a route that would have been available to them at the time.

One Response to “Henry GASSON – some migration questions”

Very interesting post! I have similar questions about the move of my 4xgreat-grandfather Captain John Linton who moved with all his children and grandchildren from Loudoun County, Virginia, to Washington County, Kentucky, in 1818. Perhaps one day we will have all our questions answered!